The women's blog with Jane Martinson + Health & wellbeing | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson+health-and-wellbeing
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Project Bush: do you want your pubic region photographed by an ad agency?http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/sep/26/project-bush-pubic-region-photographed-ad-agency
Mother says it wants to raise awareness about the pressure to wax by inviting women to 'present their bushes in all their glory' for its campaign. But what are they hoping to achieve – and would you do it?<p>What to think of Project Bush? Ad agency Mother, best known for a knitted monkey and a repututation for being &quot;creative&quot;, is asking women to come and have their pubic regions photographed. Lest you recoil at the very thought, the agency promises that the campaign has been launched in association with &quot;a number of feminist groups&quot;.</p><p>On the <a href="http://www.motherlondon.com/creative/project-bush" title="">Mother London website</a>, a letter describes the campaign as &quot;a call to action for women to stand up to the pressures of modern society and present their bushes in all their glory&quot;. Using pro-choice language usually reserved for a woman's right to choose whether to give birth, it continues: &quot;Whether waxed or never tended, young, old, black, brown or white, we want to display London's lady gardens in all their variety, and demonstrate the choice that many young women – particularly – may not realise they have when it comes to waxing.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/sep/26/project-bush-pubic-region-photographed-ad-agency">Continue reading...</a>WomenBody imageSocietyHealth & wellbeingHealthLife and styleThu, 26 Sep 2013 15:17:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/sep/26/project-bush-pubic-region-photographed-ad-agencyRex/Ben CawthraMore effective? A protester on a Muff March in Harley Street, London, 2011. Photograph: Rex/Ben CawthraRex/Ben CawthraMore effective? A protester on a Muff March in Harley Street, London, 2011. Photograph: Rex/Ben CawthraJane Martinson2013-09-26T15:17:00ZWhy is skinny-shaming OK, if fat-shaming is not?http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/aug/05/skinny-shaming-fat-size-appearance
I have never been fat, but I know exactly what it is like to be judged for my size and hear unkind comments about my appearance. We need to shift the weight debate to health, rather than looks<p>We all know that &quot;fat-shaming&quot; is wrong. No one should be disadvantaged or ridiculed for their weight. In recent years, high-profile cases of fattism, from<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2012/feb/08/karl-lagerfeld-adele" title=""> Karl Lagerfeld</a> to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/poll/2013/may/10/should-abercrombie-and-fitch-change-poll" title="">Abercrombie &amp; Fitch</a>, have caused public outrage. Positive progress, certainly. But what about the flipside: why is skinny-shaming OK, if fat-shaming is not?</p><p>A few years ago when I worked in publishing, we'd gather for weekly commissioning meetings in the boardroom. There would be platters of pastries along the table. A senior colleague – a lovely woman in her 50s – would always urge me, loudly, to have a croissant. She would prod me in the side, in a friendly manner, and say: &quot;Look, she's nothing but skin and bone!&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/aug/05/skinny-shaming-fat-size-appearance">Continue reading...</a>WomenBody imageSocietyHealth & wellbeingHealthLife and styleMon, 05 Aug 2013 16:03:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/aug/05/skinny-shaming-fat-size-appearanceThomas Skovsende/Summersdale PublishersEmma Woolf: 'I’m fed up with being judged for being ­physically disciplined.' Photograph: Thomas Skovsende/Summersdale PublishersThomas Skovsende/Summersdale PublishersEmma Woolf: 'I’m fed up with being judged for being ­physically disciplined.' Photograph: Thomas Skovsende/Summersdale PublishersEmma Woolf2013-08-05T16:03:47ZAsylum seekers deserve better maternity carehttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/mar/11/asylum-seekers-maternity-care
This Mother's Day <strong>Anna Musgrave</strong> was busy working with the mums who seem to have been forgotten – asylum-seekers denied the dignity in pregnancy the rest of us expect in the UK<p>Reading this on mobile? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjdCLFs_vBs">Click here to view the video</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/mar/11/asylum-seekers-maternity-care">Continue reading...</a>PregnancyHealth & wellbeingFamilyParents and parentingWomenLife and styleRefugeesWorld newsImmigration and asylumUK newsMon, 11 Mar 2013 12:53:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/mar/11/asylum-seekers-maternity-care.Juliet Stevenson in a video for Dignity in Pregnancy from the Refugee Council/ Photograph: .Anna Musgrave2013-03-11T12:53:00ZOne Billion Rising: moving to end violence against womenhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jan/21/one-billion-rising-violence-women
The horrific gang-rape in Delhi has shown that support to end violence against women is going global. The One Billion Rising campaign comes at the right time<p>Eve Ensler's plans for an international day of action to combat violence against women this 14 February has already achieved several things, not least a sense of solidarity among those who seek to join in, wherever they may be in the world. This solidarity is long overdue.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jan/21/one-billion-rising-violence-women">Continue reading...</a>WomenLife and styleFemale genital mutilation (FGM)Health & wellbeingHealthSocietyMon, 21 Jan 2013 17:30:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jan/21/one-billion-rising-violence-womenPRA still from the Women against violence videoNatasha Walter2013-01-21T17:30:02ZA doctor on why late abortion should remain legalhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/nov/14/abortion-should-remain-legal
Amid signs that ministers are keen to reopen the debate, Frances Marks writes about the terrible consequences of illegal terminations that she saw in the 60s – and why the law must not be changed<p>My most memorable experience as a medical student occurred in the 1960s, some time before <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/87/contents" title="">the 1967 Abortion Act</a> made terminations legal in the UK.</p><p>It was winter, 6am, and I was still asleep. The phone rang and a voice ordered me up to join the ambulance of the obstetric flying squad. We arrived at a cheap hotel in Finsbury Park, north London; our patient was a plump young girl with auburn hair and the creamy skin of a Rubens nude. She lay unconscious on a single bed, her bewildered parents to one side. The GP was a tired gaunt man, who told us that his examination indicated that she had had an illegal abortion some time in the last 48 hours. Her blood pressure was dangerously low.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/nov/14/abortion-should-remain-legal">Continue reading...</a>AbortionWomenHealthWorld newsLife and styleHealth & wellbeingLawWed, 14 Nov 2012 11:37:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/nov/14/abortion-should-remain-legalFine Line/Everett/Rex FeaturesThe 2004 film Vera Drake starring Imelda Staunton was about an illegal abortionist working in the 1950s. Photograph: Fine Line/Everett/Rex FeaturesFine Line/Everett/Rex FeaturesThe 2004 film Vera Drake starring Imelda Staunton was about an illegal abortionist working in the 1950s. Photograph: Fine Line/Everett/Rex FeaturesFrances Marks2012-11-14T11:37:00ZThe strangest ways to get pregnanthttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/sep/10/strangest-ways-get-pregnant
Will hot bricks, needles and blueberry jam really help me conceive? My friends and relatives seem to think so<p>&quot;You can't take fertility advice from a woman who says you need to take two hot bricks, spread honey on them, and fan your fanny with the vapour!&quot;</p><p>&quot;Why not?&quot; I thought. Women have done worse to get knocked up.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/sep/10/strangest-ways-get-pregnant">Continue reading...</a>WomenFertility problemsLife and stylePregnancyHealth & wellbeingSocietyMon, 10 Sep 2012 20:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/sep/10/strangest-ways-get-pregnantRob Stark/Alamy/Rob Stark/AlamyBlueberry jam: to be eaten or, um, applied topically? Photograph: Rob Stark/AlamyRob Stark/Alamy/Rob Stark/AlamyBlueberry jam: to be eaten or, um, applied topically? Photograph: Rob Stark/AlamySaima Mir2012-09-10T20:00:05ZSo Marissa Mayer will be skipping maternity leave – how very Americanhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/jul/17/marissa-mayer-yahoo-working-childbirth
We might not agree with the pregnant Mayer's decision to work right on through, but her appointment as chief executive of Yahoo is still fantastic news<p>So three huge cheers to Marissa Mayer, who has just been made chief executive of Yahoo. A 37-year-old female engineer has just taken a top job in an industry seemingly dominated by young men. Hurrah. And she's six months pregnant. Huge hurrah. But she promises not to take her maternity leave. Harrumph?</p><p>&quot;I like to stay in the rhythm of things,&quot; she tells Fortune in the 24 hours between leaving Google and starting at its failing rival. &quot;My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I'll work throughout it.&quot; She went on to say that the baby boy, due in October, was &quot;super-active … My doctor says that he takes after his parents&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/jul/17/marissa-mayer-yahoo-working-childbirth">Continue reading...</a>Marissa MayerYahooUS newsBusinessWomenChildbirthLife and styleGenderWorld newsInternetTechnologyHealth & wellbeingUS personal financeUS work & careersTue, 17 Jul 2012 18:12:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/jul/17/marissa-mayer-yahoo-working-childbirthGraham Turner/Guardian'I like to stay in the rhythm of things' … Yahoo's new chief executive Marissa Mayer. Photograph: Graham Turner for the GuardianGraham Turner/Guardian'I like to stay in the rhythm of things' … Yahoo's new chief executive Marissa Mayer. Photograph: Graham Turner for the GuardianJane Martinson2012-07-17T18:12:16ZWhy breast is best … for a rowhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/may/14/breast-best-row-time-magazine
Time magazine's 'Are you mom enough?' cover reignited an age-old furore, which touches on real issues of identity and guilt<p>Were you breastfed as a baby and if so, do love or hate your mother? Do you have children of your own and if so, do you or did you breastfeed them? And for how long? And if it was a long time ago, do they still speak to you? And did you ever do anything else with your time apart from devote every waking moment to their wellbeing?</p><p>The furore over <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/11/time-breastfeeding-cover-pure-front" title="">the recent Time magazine cover</a> in America – a picture of a slim, attractive woman breastfeeding a child who looks big enough to tie his own shoelaces and a headline that screams &quot;Are you mom enough?&quot; – has <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/may/10/time-magazine-breastfeeding" title="">reawakened those undead questions</a> of modern, if not all, time. I'm all for breastfeeding and happily did it myself, but I respect the right for women to choose not to or to do it for longer. I just wish it wasn't used as a rod to beat us all with.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/may/14/breast-best-row-time-magazine">Continue reading...</a>BreastfeedingTime magazineHealth & wellbeingParents and parentingWomenLife and styleMon, 14 May 2012 16:35:39 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/may/14/breast-best-row-time-magazineAP'Are you mom enough?' … Time magazine Photograph: APAP'Are you mom enough?' … Time magazine Photograph: APJane Martinson2012-05-14T16:35:39ZWomen say no to 'state-sponsored rape'http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/feb/21/abortion-women-state-sponsored-rape
Should women be forced to endure a vaginal ultrasound before being allowed to have an abortion? Legislators in Virginia think they should but opposition is mounting<p>One of the hundreds of women who protested outside the Virginia State Capitol wore a T-shirt which read &quot;Say No to State-Mandated Rape&quot;, in reference to one of two new bills set to make getting a legal abortion much harder in the state.</p><p>The two bills have prompted mounting outrage since passing through the Virginia House last week. The first &quot;personhood&quot; bill gives state rights to an unborn child, a fertilised egg, while the second requires any woman who wants to have an abortion to undergo an ultrasound beforehand. As most early stage abortions are carried out before 12 weeks, this is an invasive procedure where a condom-covered probe is inserted into the vagina until an image is produced. The bill would also then give the woman an &quot;opportunity to view the ultrasound image of her fetus prior to the abortion&quot;, though she can opt out of this.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/feb/21/abortion-women-state-sponsored-rape">Continue reading...</a>WomenLife and styleAbortionHealthWorld newsHealth & wellbeingUS healthcareUS newsTue, 21 Feb 2012 15:24:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/feb/21/abortion-women-state-sponsored-rapeBob Brown/APProtesters at Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia. Photograph: Bob Brown/APBob Brown/APProtesters at Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia. Photograph: Bob Brown/APCarlene Thomas-Bailey2012-02-21T15:24:47ZWill Barbie go bold and bald?http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2012/jan/15/will-barbie-go-bald-campaign
A new campaign is taking off on Facebook asking toy maker Mattel to create a bald Barbie. But it's not the first such radical makeover the doll has undergone<p>Since its debut in 1959, the&nbsp;Barbie doll has proved to be <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/19/women" title="">11.5in of pure controversy</a>. Inspired by a German doll, <a href="http://dollreference.com/bild_lilli.html" title="">Bild Lilli</a>, which was in turn based on a racy cartoon, it has been accused of promoting an inappropriately sexual look, stupidity (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/21/business/company-news-mattel-says-it-erred-teen-talk-barbie-turns-silent-on-math.html" title="">1992's Teen Talk Barbie parroted &quot;Math class is tough!&quot;</a>), and, most pointedly, an unhealthy body image. Researchers in Finland once calculated that if Barbie was&nbsp;a real woman she'd be <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7920962.stm" title="">too thin to menstruate</a>.</p><p>So it's unusual to see Barbie cast as a tool to boost girls' confidence. But that is part of the idea behind the moving Facebook campaign that grew and grew last week, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie?sk=info" title="">asking Mattel to create a bald Barbie</a>. It was started by friends Jane Bingham and Rebecca Sypin, after Sypin's daughter, Kin Inich, and Bingham herself lost their hair during cancer treatment. The campaigners suggest a &quot;Bald and Beautiful Barbie&quot; will help young girls &quot;who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, alopecia or trichotillomania&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2012/jan/15/will-barbie-go-bald-campaign">Continue reading...</a>ToysWomenHealthSocietyHealth & wellbeingLife and styleSun, 15 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2012/jan/15/will-barbie-go-bald-campaignPublic DomainCome on Barbie … The bald Barbie as she appears on the campaign's Facebook page.Public DomainCome on Barbie … The bald Barbie as she appears on the campaign's Facebook page.Kira Cochrane2012-01-15T20:00:00ZThe Muff March against 'designer vagina' surgeryhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/muff-march-designer-vagina-surgery
On Saturday morning, women will march down Harley Street to protest against the pornification of our private parts<p>&quot;Keep your mitts off our muffs!&quot; &quot;I love my vagina!&quot; &quot;You've put my chuff in a huff!&quot; These are some of the slogans of the Muff March taking place along London's Harley Street Saturday morning. Its aim? To raise awareness of the increase in gynaecological cosmetic surgery – both on the NHS and in private clinics. The march, which has more than 300 supporters on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=314791548546961" title="">Facebook</a>, is organised by campaigning group UK Feminista and performance artists The Muffia, who dress up in nude bodysuits decorated with lavish pubic hair.</p><p>At its most modest, the Muff March is against the pornography-influenced obsession with removing pubic hair. But it's also about protesting against the sort of surgery that makes you cross your legs. Typical procedures on offer include labiaplasty (trimming or removing the labia) and vaginal rejuvenation (tightening – usually referred to by &quot;designer vagina&quot;).</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/muff-march-designer-vagina-surgery">Continue reading...</a>WomenHealth & wellbeingPornographySexLife and styleProtestThu, 08 Dec 2011 16:49:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/muff-march-designer-vagina-surgeryAnna GordonKate O'Brien and Sinead King, members of the
Muffia, in London in 2009. Photograph: Anna GordonAnna GordonKate O'Brien and Sinead King, members of the
Muffia, in London in 2009. Photograph: Anna GordonViv Groskop2011-12-08T16:49:55ZStillbirth exhibition reveals a devastating losshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/stillbirth-exhibition-devastating-loss
An extraordinary photographic exhibition raises awareness of the UK's shockingly high rate of stillbirth – a subject so taboo that few like to talk of it<p>It is Christmas Day and two women wear silly paper hats as they grin at the camera, the hand of one placed protectively on the pregnant stomach of the other. It could be just any other family snap until you read the caption alongside, which explains that the baby, Otis, died just 20 minutes after being born.</p><p>There are 16 more ordinary family snaps, including the one above, shown alongside this framed photo in an extraordinary exhibition designed to raise awareness of a subject that is so taboo that few like to talk of it. Each day, 17 babies die before, during or shortly after birth in the UK. That's one in every 200 births, a rate that has stuck at that level since 1999.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/stillbirth-exhibition-devastating-loss">Continue reading...</a>WomenNHSHealthMedical researchScienceUK newsPhotographyChildbirthSocietyHealth & wellbeingLife and styleThu, 08 Dec 2011 13:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/stillbirth-exhibition-devastating-lossPhotograph: 2011 Families fo the 17 ExhibitionBaby Grace: stillborn at 35 weeks. Photograph: 2011 Families fo the 17 Exhibition2011 Families fo the 17 ExhibitionBaby Phoebe: stillborn at 41 weeks 5 days. Photograph: 2011 Families fo the 17 Exhibition2011 Families fo the 17 ExhibitionBaby Phoebe: stillborn at 41 weeks 5 days. Photograph: 2011 Families fo the 17 ExhibitionJane Martinson2011-12-08T13:48:00ZWhy women want to gain weightshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/nov/17/why-women-want-gain-weights
Instead of worrying about shedding pounds, more women are looking at weightlifting as a way to become fitter<p>Over the last 100 years or so,&nbsp;the pursuit of female physical perfection has included organ-crushing corsetry, starvation and the surgical insertion of synthetic implants. But finally, it seems, the healthy goal of becoming physically strong is gaining popularity.</p><p>You may think this is nothing new. But <a href="http://www.evelynstevenson.com/" title="">Evelyn Stevenson</a>, model, personal trainer and British champion powerlifter (last weekend, she won silver at the World Championships), says she has only recently seen a change in her clients' ambitions. &quot;They used to say: 'I&nbsp;want to tone up and lose weight.' But&nbsp;weight isn't the best indicator [of fitness],&quot; she adds. &quot;Recently, a new client said: 'I really like the athletic build that Jennifer Aniston has.'&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/nov/17/why-women-want-gain-weights">Continue reading...</a>FitnessWomenLife and styleHealth & wellbeingThu, 17 Nov 2011 21:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/nov/17/why-women-want-gain-weightsEvelyn StevensonEvelyn Stevenson shows how it's done. Photograph: Evelyn StevensonEvelyn StevensonEvelyn Stevenson shows how it's done. Photograph: Evelyn StevensonSarah Ditum2011-11-17T21:00:00ZBad hair days can be good for youhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/sep/01/bad-hair-good-for-you
Some women do miss out on exercise for fear or messing up their look<p>America's surgeon general Regina M Benjamin has been having a bad hair week. After claiming too many women – particularly black women – forgo exercise because they're worried it will ruin their hair – she has been slammed from all sides.</p><p>To be fair, it sounds like the most ridiculous of excuses. After all it is pretty hard to argue that hairstyling is the root cause of obesity, but despite the uproar, there's a kernel of truth in her claim. Many women I've spoken to have confirmed it with shame and a glint of embarrassment that I've come to recognise because I've had that glint in my eye before too. One admitted: &quot;I avoid the gym and exercising in between weaves.&quot; Another said: &quot;When I have a weave, I only do exercises that allow me to do so with my hair down.&quot; And of course, the classic: &quot;At school, I never swam if my hair was out of braids.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/sep/01/bad-hair-good-for-you">Continue reading...</a>WomenLife and styleBeautyFashionHealth & wellbeingThu, 01 Sep 2011 19:30:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/sep/01/bad-hair-good-for-youBim Adewunmi2011-09-01T19:30:04ZThe view from a broadhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jul/11/the-view-from-a-broad
Beware! The dangers of romantic fiction; and the first spottings of menstrual blood in advertising<p>✤ If the bodices of the nation stand a little less ripped today, well it is perhaps no bad thing; not since Samuel Richardson published <a href="http://www.manybooks.net/titles/richardsonsametext04pam1w10.html" title="Pamela">Pamela</a> have the dangers of romantic fiction been so starkly set forth as they have over the last sobering few days. I refer not to the tumbling russet curls and heaving bosom of Rebekah Brooks, nor even to the passionate exhortations of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV9Sh_R3wB4" title="the nations new Mr Darcy, Steve Coogan">the nation's new Mr Darcy, Steve Coogan</a>, but to a report by <a href="http://www.susanquilliam.com/" title="psychologist Susan Quilliam">psychologist Susan Quilliam</a> into the effects that <strong>reading Mills &amp; Boon novels </strong>might exert upon your delicate constitution and your sexual health. Nurse, the smelling salts, please!</p><p>Writing in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare, Quilliam tendered that romantic novels might be blamed for unprotected sex, unrealistic sexual expectations and relationship breakdowns, urging us to &quot;put down the books — and pick up reality.&quot; (Good catchphrase, Susan).</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jul/11/the-view-from-a-broad">Continue reading...</a>Mills & BoonBooksHealth & wellbeingLife and styleMon, 11 Jul 2011 20:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jul/11/the-view-from-a-broadJohn Voos/Reuters/CorbisMills & Boon: might be blamed for 'unrealistic sexual expectations'. Photograph: John Voos/Reuters/CorbisJohn Voos/Reuters/CorbisMills &amp; Boon: might be blamed for 'unrealistic sexual expectations'. Photograph: John Voos/Reuters/CorbisLaura Barton2011-07-11T20:00:00ZThe view from a broadhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jun/27/view-from-broad-diabetes
We have a responsibility to sort out our ridiculous relationship with food and with our bodies<p>✤ <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/25/diabetes-epidemic-western-fast-food" title="The Lancets report on diabetes">The Lancet's report on diabetes</a>, released last week, provided some shocking figures – that there are <strong>347 million diabetics</strong> worldwide, for instance, and that this is double the number there were in 1980. But the most striking statistics showed the sharp rise in diabetes among women – from 7.5% in 2009 to 9.2% today. While researchers attributed 70% of this to ageing, they believed that 30% was due to factors such as obesity and body mass. Lest we forget, <a href="http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/opad10/Statistics_on_Obesity_Physical_Activity_and_Diet_England_2010.pdf" title="25% of adult women in the UK are now obese">25% of adult women in the UK are now obese</a>.</p><p>Strangely, I saw these figures shortly after reading <a href="http://www.marieclaire.com/health-fitness/news/eating-disorder-facility-2" title="an article in US Marie Claire">an article in US Marie Claire</a> about eating disorders, which affect <a href="http://www.disordered-eating.co.uk/eating-disorders-statistics/eating-disorders-statistics-uk.html" title="over 1.1 million people in the UK">more than 1.1 million people in the UK</a>, with girls and women 10 times more likely to suffer than boys and men.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jun/27/view-from-broad-diabetes">Continue reading...</a>WomenLife and styleDiabetesSocietyObesityPregnancyHealth & wellbeingMon, 27 Jun 2011 19:00:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jun/27/view-from-broad-diabetesGraham Turner/GuardianAre you afraid of the biscuit tin? Photograph: Graham Turner for the GuardianGraham Turner/GuardianAre you afraid of the biscuit tin? Photograph: Graham Turner for the GuardianLaura Barton2011-06-27T19:00:07Z